Shocked
by ItalianGodess21
Summary: Daddy!Snape, Teacher!Harry, Lovestruck!Draco. Severus Snape experiences the wonders of fatherhood, just not in the way he expected. Harry learns what it's like to have someone love him. And Draco is hiding a big secret. Warning: Main character is an original character. Rated M for future chapters.
1. The Blood Book

**AUTHORS NOTE: **While I wish I owned Harry Potter, and could roll in the millions of dollars being made from the franchise, I sadly do not. J.K Rowling has that pleasure. Which is fine by me, because she is my idol.

No Beta yet for this story, so don't kill me if I made a mistake somewhere. Any original characters in this story are owned by me. Because I'm a genius lol just kidding.

* * *

Severus Snape rarely ever was shocked. But it did happen occasionally. He had been shocked to hear the prophecy of Harry Potter and The Dark Lord. Had been shocked when one of his oldest and dearest friends Albus Dumbledore had come to him with a cursed hand, and told him to kill him so that a young and confused Draco Malfoy wouldn't have to. He had also been shocked when Harry Potter himself had applied for a teaching position at Hogwarts, stating only that while he still wanted to help people, he was simply to tired to fight anymore.

Yes there were times when Severus Snape could be shocked, and this was certainly one of them. He had been sitting at his desk in Spinners End, doing his annual review of the Gringotts Vaults and ledgers from investments his parents, and himself had made. This was always a daunting task, but someone had to do it. He did however enjoy the company of his mothers portrait while he worked. The years having eased the woman's foul demeanor slightly. She still nagged him about getting married and having children, but she would usually quiet down when he threatened to turn her portrait backwards to face the wall.

It was during one of their conversations when she suddenly got a thoughtful look on her face and asked him. "Severus, have you ever reviewed the family blood book?" He gave her a confused look, having never heard of such a thing. He assumed it to be some dark artifact that had probably been lost during his fathers tirade of throwing all magical things out of the house after his mother had passed.

"Of course not mother, as I have never heard of such a thing." He answered her politely.

"Just like your father to have not given it to you after I died. It is supposed to be passed on from parent to oldest child when said child comes of age. I do hope he didn't find it and destroy it with the other things. Severus dear, go into the ladies lounge off of the parlor, and behind the portrait of your Grandmother Snape there should be a hidden compartment. I never told your father about it, it was where I used to hide some family heirlooms so your father wouldn't toss them." She told him.

He sighed and placed his quill back on the desk. Getting up he grumbled about nagging old witches when he came upon the aforementioned portrait of his muggle grandmother. He used his wand to gently lift it up and set it down propped up against the wall. And there it was, a small but very much there, compartment. He could see the outline of its door, and using his finger, he pried it open and looked inside. There were several jewelry cases, and some papers, a small gold pyramid with a ruby set into its tip, and there tucked neatly to the side, was a book.

He grabbed the book, deciding to deal with the other objects later. He took the book back to the study, and at his mothers excited murmurs, he knew he had found the right book. When he looked up at her in question she decided to explain.

"The blood book holds a record of every member of my family bloodline. It magically updates itself whenever a new person is born, or when someone gets married. I don't know why I never remembered it before. Probably because the last name in there would be yours, so there wouldn't be any point in looking through it." But she stopped speaking when she saw the look on her sons face.

For Severus Snape had opened the book, and his name was not the last one in it.

* * *

**AUTHORS NOTE: **Dun Dun Dun! Severus Snape isn't the last name in the book? Whatever could this mean? Stay tuned and find out, tee hee!


	2. Panic and Private Messaging

**AUTHORS NOTE: **Again, I own nothing, wish I did, but I don't.

Still no Beta, so again, I want to live you grammar Nazi's! lol just kidding.

When we last left off, Severus was dealt a shocking blow, and now we jump to our favorite hero, lets see what happens shall we?

* * *

Harry Potter had gone off on his own after making up his seventh year and graduating at age eighteen. He had initially considered his original plan of becoming an Auror, but had decided against it, he was just to darn tired of fighting to do the job. So he had wandered for two years around the world, experiencing new things. But even that had become boring. So at the ripe age of twenty, he had applied at Hogwarts to teach under the new Headmaster, Severus Snape. One Draco Malfoy, after the death of his parents, had taken up the Potions position, Neville Longbottom had become the Herbology Professor. Hermione worked at the ministry in the Magical Restriction and Safety Department. Ron was an Auror of course, but his brother Charlie had become the care of magical creatures Professor. Minerva McGonagall had passed this past year and they were still trying to fill her place.

Harry was the Head of House for Gryffindor. Draco for Slytherin, and Neville for Hufflepuff. The head of Ravenclaw House was a woman named Katherine Trendily, a mid forties former Ravenclaw student who was the new History Of Magic Professor. Severus had finally convinced Binns that he was dead, and that he shouldn't be teaching anymore, so the ghost had passed on.

Neville had married Luna and she was a stay at home mother to their young son Nathaniel. Hermione and Ron had dated for a year, but then called it quits on mutually friendly grounds, stating they just were too different. Ron found a lovely wife named Sarah, who was a muggle born witch, but they had yet to have children. Seamus Finnegan had come out as gay, and had started dating bi-sexual Dean. They were soon married with an adopted daughter named Kiera, and they had bought the Quidditch shop in Diagon Alley together.

George Weasley had continued his and Fred's dream of a national chain of shops, and was now one of the wealthiest men in Wizarding England. He had settled down with Katy Bell, and they had two children Francesca and Fred. Teddy Lupin was being raised by his grandmother Andromeda Tonks, and was growing into a fine young metamorphagus, even if he did have a slight appetite for rare meat. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley now lived in the burrow alone with Percy having married Penelope Clearwater and moved to work at the Ministry Of Magic in France, Bill still working for Gringotts, Charlie teaching, and Ginny now playing for the HollyHead Harpies, and quickly becoming a big star.

Yes everyone had moved on in their lives. Now no one would have guessed it, but in the three years Harry Potter had been working as the Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he had become what one would describe as "friends" with one Severus Snape. So it was unsurprising when the wards surrounding Harry's home in Godrics Hollow signaled to him that Snape was visiting. What did surprise him, however, was the utter panic the graced his friends now somehow even paler face.

"Severus, what's the matter, you look like you're about to have a heart attack. Your not are you?!" He asked, now also panicked. At his friends glare and shaking of his head, he relaxed somewhat. And then became confused when Severus shoved an old book into his hands, the Headmaster now seating himself onto Harry's sofa.

"It is my families blood book, Harry, open it." The older man instructed, now slightly more relaxed.

Harry had heard of blood books had even taught about them, given sometimes they were used for dark purposes. So he opened it up and looked at Severus's name on the page, but it was the next name, with a thin black line connecting it and Severus's name that surprised him. From what he knew about these books it could only mean... with that he halted his thinking and stared up at his friend in disbelief. For according to this book...

"I have a daughter." Severus finished his thought for him. Burying his face in his hands.

"But how Sev? You've never mentioned a child before. You've never even been married!" Harry exclaimed, setting the book down on the table next to him. His friend merely shot him a glare.

"I am well aware I am not married Potter, but that does NOT mean I have been completely celibate all my life! According to that book, this Elena Masters is a twenty-one year old girl who is my flesh and blood. Unfortunately, the book would only have entered her mothers name if I had been married to her. Which is why it leaves the space blank. The only thing I know about her is that her last name is Masters." He concluded solemnly.

"Well do you remember being...involved... with anyone with the last name masters twenty-one years ago?" Harry asked gently.

At this Severus stopped, "I never even thought about it, I was just so shocked to see her name there. The only woman I was involved with at that time was a young American named Cordelia. I met her in the mountains of North Carolina while researching some plants there. I had been staying at a small inn, and she was one of the waitresses. A muggle."

"So that's it, we look on the muggle internet for a Cordelia Masters, and hopefully it can tell us something." Harry said as he went into his study for his portable laptop.

Opening it up, and bringing up the web browser. He typed in the name, the town, and the state. The first search result was a page for a muggle social networking site called FaceBook. The picture on the page showed a mid forties woman with a pretty face, and bright red hair, with blue eyes. In the photo with her was a younger girl with black hair and blue eyes, also extremely pretty. The girl was wearing a party hat with the number 21 on it. At closer inspection, he could see that the girl looked very much like Severus, while also looking like her mother. Sitting on the table in the picture in front of the two women, was most definitely a wand.

"Sev, I think I found her." He turned the screen to show his friend, and smiled at the look of pure wonder that was on his face.

"She looks just like me, but she has my fathers nose. Thank Merlin for that." He chuckled hesitantly.

"I can send her a message if you like?" Harry offered, and after a brief pause was granted with a nod from his friend.

_Dear Ms. Masters,_

_You do not know me, but my name is Harry Potter. I am a good friend of a man you once knew. His name is Severus Snape. As you have probably figured out from your daughters magical ability, my friend is a wizard. He has in his possession a book which magically updates itself when someone in his family has a child. He had no knowledge of said book until yesterday I am afraid, and so did not know of your daughters existence until then. He wishes to see you, and to hopefully discuss maters regarding the child you and he share. Please reply as soon as possible._

_-Harry Potter_

It was only about ten minutes later when his laptop made a chiming noise, a signal of a new message.

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_I am Elena Masters, my mother Cordelia passed from this world several months ago. Needless to say I was surprised to see your message. Even more surprised to see what it contained. My mother told me of a man named Severus Snape, who came to the inn where she worked, and charmed her with his intellect and quiet kindness. She also had the theory that he was magical, as was somewhat confirmed when I began to do magic, and received my school letter. Know now, I do not blame your friend for not being there for me growing up. My mother knew his name, and where he was from, I am sure she could have located him to tell him had she wanted to. _

_As for a meeting, I am not opposed to it, I am now living in New York City, I have just finished wizarding college here with my Mastery in Transfiguration. I currently work however at a bar named Coyote Ugly. If you would like to meet me, I will be there until midnight tonight, afterward I will be available, but I have to start my second job at 4 am. Then I won't be off until 10 am, after which I will be sleeping until I go back to the bar at 9 pm. Any of those times in between are good times to get hold of me. _

_The address to the bar is __193 1st Ave, New York, NY 10009. My apartment is at 307 15__th__ Avenue. Oh and by the way, if you guys are just some thieves, scam artists or weirdos, my apartment is heavily warded, and anyone wishing me ill harm usually ends up bleeding profusely from the eye sockets for about three hours after going anywhere near my door. Just a friendly warning._

_-Elena Masters_

At the last part of her letter Harry smirked and thought to himself, 'Yep that is definitely Snape's kid.' Looking back at his friend he only saw a look of shock.

Before he could ask what was wrong, Severus turned his eyes to Harry, and in a somewhat disbelieving voice said, "She works at a bar?"

Harry just shrugged his shoulders, and moved to go upstairs to change his clothes. Mentioning to Severus that he should go home really fast and do the same, particularly changing into Muggle clothes.

Severus simply nodded and started walking to the front door, all the while muttering to himself... _"My daughter works at a bar."_

* * *

**AUTHORS NOTE: **HeHeHe Panicky Sev! Love it! SO as I sit here eating my chips and my sandwich, I am oh so in love with this story so far, and wonder jsut where these lovely characters will take me.

Also, I know there is a reference to COYOTE UGLY in this chapter, I love the movie and thought it would be funny... which is why I wonder why no ones laughing... *pout*


	3. Introductions and Offers

**AUTHORS NOTE: **Totally no ownership here.

When we last left off, Severus rushed to his unlikely best friend, and spilled his guts and learned a surprising fact about his "little girl"

* * *

It was a mere two hours later they found themselves in the heart of New York City. It was 11 pm by the clock outside the American Embassy Of Magic. The building was a high rise that was magically sandwiched between two muggle office buildings. They had apparated into the designated room of the Embassy and had submitted their wands for identity scanning before being waved on by the security officer. He had given Snape a brief glance when he had noted the _"Former Death Eater"_ label on his file, but had said nothing as he also noted his war commendations, as well as his current title of Hogwarts Headmaster, and member of the Wizengmont. The man had also shot up his eyebrows at the list of titles and war commendations on Harry's file, but again said nothing.

So it was they began walking to the muggle subway station, after gaining directions from the front desk information clerk. She had giggled when asked where they were going. Causing Harry to blush and Severus to scowl. The took the subway to the station about two blocks from the bar, and walked the rest of the way. When they saw the line of people, Severus groaned. Harry on the other hand, figured if they asked for a specific worker at the bar, they may be able to get in.

As it turned out Harry was right, the bouncer took one look at his list, and saw that Elena had reserved passes for the two men. He asked for their identification, and Harry pulled out the muggle ID cards they had been given at the Embassy, the officer stating they were to return them upon leaving the country, and that they had magical charms to locate them if they caused any trouble. After inspecting the cards for any kind of flaw he handed them back to the men and nodded for them to go inside.

The sight that met them however was not what Harry would call a calm smoky bar atmosphere. The music was blaring, and there were women in jeans, cowboy boots, and cutoff t-shirts dancing to some high paced song. Something about fire on mountains and devils. He scanned the ladies and his eyes fell on the one who was obviously Elena, as she was the only one with black hair. He watched in amazement as she did a back flip off the bar and into the crowd of people, who then hoisted her back up and onto the bar to resume dancing without missing a beat.

Harry looked over at Snape who was staring at the situation in a sort of dumbstruck horror. He shook his head, and grabbed his friends elbow, leading them through the throng of people up to the bar. Once there a slightly flushed Elena set herself back down behind the counter, and asked, "What can I get ya handsome?" She flashed a winning smile.

This seemed to wake Severus up. He moved right next to Harry and said in a very disapproving tone, "How about an explanation as to why my daughter is dancing half naked on a bar?"

At those words, Elena's eyes widened. "Dad?! Oh my god, I can not believe you're here! This is so exciting. I'm just going to go tell Harley that I need a break and we can go in the back to talk." She leaned over and gave Severus a peck on the cheek to which the sour man actually smiled.

In ten minutes they were seated in a part of the building that was much quieter than the front area. Severus was giving Elena a disapproving look, and Harry was deciding whether or not he should be there. When he made a move to leave however, both of his companions gave him separate looks, a glare from Severus, and a pleading look from Elena.

"So Elena, would you mind explaining your choice of employment? It seems rather odd for a woman who just finished a Mastery in Transfiguration." Severus asked his daughter.

"Well, to be quite honest, I was originally living with mom in Queens, going to school full time and working a part time job at a diner, but when she passed, even the diner job could barely keep up the rent. So I went out looking for a better job, and one morning when I came into work, I saw Harley, Jesse, and Andy sitting at one of my tables counting out twenties and fifties like it was pocket change. So I asked where they worked, and they told me. Harley gave me an audition, and I passed. Next thing I know my tuition is getting paid, my rent is full up for six months, and I'm out buying a new wardrobe. The money was good, and I love the girls like family, so even after graduating I stayed. Figured I could wait a couple years then apply for a teaching job somewhere." With that she stopped, reached into her purse and pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

She raised them up to both men, who declined. Severus commenting, "That is a nasty habit young lady, I daresay you get it from your grandfather."

At this her eyes flashed in annoyance, "Hey, I know your my dad and all, but don't come in here acting all high and mighty thinking you can boss me around. Got it?"

AT this Harry could barely hold in his laughter at the face of pure bewilderment on his face, no one had ever back talked to him, at least no one but Harry and Draco. And even Draco only ever did it once.

"And what about you handsome, what are you doing hanging out with this old guy?" She asked him.

"Your father was my Potions Professor, and one of my greatest allies in the war, even if it took me a while to realize it. Now he is my boss, and my friend. He's a good guy this one, I'd give my life for him." He smiled sheepishly, patting Severus on the back.

"Yeah I read about the Great War. Typical, someone gets a bee in their bonnet over something, and then drags the whole world down with him. Heard you were enemy numero uno during it though." She said pointing her cigarette at him.

"Yeah, but life is all calm now mostly. Sometimes gets boring, but I would rather have boring than death defying any day." He responded.

Severus had stayed silent throughout this exchange, but then he suddenly shot his head up and stared at his daughter. "Elena, what if I offered you a job right now?" He asked.

"Yeah! And Hey Sev? Since both Hogwarts Headmaster and Deputy Headmaster are both here, we can consider this an interview." Harry commented when he had caught on.

"What exactly would this job be?" She asked.

"Our dear Transfiguration Professor, Minerva McGonagall passed just at the end of the school year. I have been finding it difficult to fill her place, not many people who are familiar with her teaching are wanting to try and fill her shoes. But I feel a fresh new face, and a new approach may be just what we need. You will have an excellent salary, personal quarters in the school during the year, and you may either come back here, or stay with me during the summer. What do you say?" Severus asked, now very excited, or as much as he could be excited.

She gave them an uncertain smile, and nodded her head. "Okay, when do I leave?"

* * *

**AUTHORS NOTE: **Ooo, Elena is going to Hogwarts, where Magic, Mystery, and Mayhem ensue! Throw in a dash of love and jealousy, and you get... well I'm not telling you what you get because that would ruin the story.

Yes I am aware that there are elements of the movie COYOTE UGLY in this story. I just really love that movie and was watching said movie when I thought of this fic. Again I do not own anything!


	4. Meeting of the Minds

**AUTHORS NOTE: **Nope, don't own Harry Potter.

So, Elena likes dancing on bars, Severus thinks her smoking is a bad habit he intends to break. Harry is starting to see the similarities between father and daughter. Oh and now Elena is going to teach at Hogwarts.

* * *

"OH MY GOD! THIS IS SO COOL! I GET TO LIVE IN A CASTLE? WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME ABOUT THE CASTLE? THIS IS SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE SCHOOL I WENT TO!"

Severus Snape rubbed his temples at the shouts of his daughter. They were standing in front of the gates of Hogwarts, having apparated there after a week long stay at Spinners End, where Elena had been introduced to her grandmother, who absolutely gushed over the girl. He had gone to the Ministry of Magic to file the proper documents to claim her as his child legally. They had also spent several hours in Diagon Alley shopping for proper attire for the young woman, as her jeans and t-shirts certainly would not do for a Hogwarts Professor much to her dislike.

They had also gone into Gringotts to convert some of Elena's muggle money to wizarding money. That had been at her request, even though he insisted he would buy all she needed. They had eventually compromised, he would purchase the absolute necessities, while she would use her own money if she wanted something extra.

The two family members had settled into a quite comfortable relationship in the past week, learning all they could about one another, and spending time doing things together. He had been very pleased to learn that along with her absolute passion for Transfiguration, she also had a knack and love for Potions. She even knew a few things about the Dark Arts, claiming she had been a very curious student when she was in school, and had tried to learn as much as she could.

Severus was riled out of his thoughts by Elena squealing once again when a set of House Elves had appeared to bring their belonging into the castle. Apparently they didn't have those where she was from, and she thought they were 'adorable'.

"Elena, dear, you know I am very happy that you are excited, but remember, you are a teacher now not a student, so please, conduct yourself with some decorum." he gave her a pleading look to which she responded with a sheepish grin.

"Sorry Dad, got a little carried away." With that she began the walk to the castle doors. As she moved Severus swore he almost caught sight of denim under her robes, but when he didn't see it on second look he disregarded it as a trick of the light. Though he did mumble, "If she shows up to class in jeans, I will hex her into next month."

"Dad, why do I have to wear these robes, Harry wears pants and a shirt, and that Draco guy, you said he usually wears some kind of suit. And then that Trawleny lady wears that weird shawl thing. And even that nice Neville wears jeans and a shirt."

"I have told you Elena, they can wear whatever they want, because they are not my daughter. I have a reputation to uphold, and besides any clothing choice you have probably will have every teenage boy in this school with their hands down their pants!"

"Okay... how about this, I can wear my jeans and t-shirts, as long as they are the ones that cover my stomach, but I will wear my outer robes over them, and I will wear the full set of robes if I leave the castle on Hogwarts business, or during a formal function you get invited to, so I won't embarrass you." She gave him her best 'give me what I want' smile, and Severus couldn't help but cave.

'Bloody girl, I have survived the wrath of The Dark Lord Himself and never flinched, but one smile from her and I cave like a Hufflepuff.' He thought to himself, waiting for the doors of the school to open, now that they had arrived.

He looked over at Elena who was nearly bouncing on her toes. Noting how she was trying extremely hard to heed his earlier words, he decided not to mention the bouncing.

As they walked into the entrance of the school, he swore if her eyes got any wider they would pop out of her head.

"Wow, this is amazing. This is, like, the best place ever." She said.

They went directly to the Great Hall where the others Professors had gathered. They had met at Godrics Hollow for Harry's start of term party he had held two nights before. Apparently he had started it the year he started teaching. Elena smiled and waved politely at the familiar faces of Professors and staff she had met at the party.

Severus escorted her to a seat close to the front, and then he took the head seat at the one long table that had been set up in the middle of the room for the meting. With a brief nod to her, he tapped his wand on the tabletop to gain everyone's attention.

"Esteemed colleagues, as you know, in one weeks time on Friday evening at exactly six pm. All second though seventh years will be arriving. As usual the plan is for these students to enter the castle after arriving by carriage, and be seated at their respective tables by no later than six-thirty pm. During this time, I wish all Professors to be situated at random throughout the hall to help identify any issues." He paused and picked up a list that was set in front of him.

"These issues include, as always, any student not in proper attire, misuse of magic within the hall, the possession of any banned items, and last but not least the possession of any pets within the hall." He peered at Neville for this, since it was an incident with the man's toad at the start of second year that had caused that rule to be set in place.

"I ask that for the welcoming feast, that all professors be attired in formal robes. What you wear in your classroom is strictly your business, but I would like the new students to gain a good first impression of our staff. If no one has any questions, we may begin discussing lesson plans." He paused to allow for questions, and hearing none, he started a brief review of each Professors plans for the year.

Elena had tuned out after the initial speech, until Harry elbowed her. When she looked up at him he whispered. "He just finished with Charms, so your next, pay attention." With that she nodded and turned to Severus.

"Ah yes, as you all remember my daughter Elena will be taking the Transfiguration post. Professor Masters, what is your main goal for lessons this year?" He asked.

"Well sir, I will be introducing the Animagus Registration Program to the SIXTH year classes this year. I believe that starting a year early on preparation, will help to aid them more effectively when it comes time to gain their license, and may just see a larger turnout of Animagus students, which of course will look very good for the school. I also plan on attempting to introduce mild morphology to third years. I have reviewed Professor McGonagall's lessons for all her years, and other than those two main points, I don't see any reason to stray from her lesson plans, even if I do put my own personal spin on things." She handed him the folder with her lessons list, and then sat back and watched as he did the same thing with the rest of the Professors.

At the end of the meeting, Severus stood once more. "By all accounts, I am pleased with what I see so far, we will however be having bi-weekly meeting to help keep everyone on track, and also to discuss any possible changes we might need to make. I anticipate this will be one of Hogwarts best years in a while. So I bid you good day, and once again if you need to discuss anything with me before term starts, you know where my office is." He nodded respectfully to them all.

Elena had received in her welcome packet the location and direction to her quarters, and the password to get in. So with a brief kiss to her fathers cheek (much to his surprise, and to the surprise of the other Professors), she went off on her own, thinking to herself.

'This is going to be an interesting year.'

* * *

**AUTHORS NOTE: **So there you have it folks the start of the roller coaster that will be Elena's first year at Hogwarts. Unfortunately this is the somewhat boring start of it, but I promise it will get better so please don't abandon me! *pouts and sobs into her pudding*

Next up, is romance in the air, or is it just a potions explosion? Who knows? Plus a visit from our friendly neighborhood Irishman! lol.


	5. Of Feelings and Friends

**AUTHORS NOTE: **While I am in love with Harry Potter, I sadly do not own him or any other character that is a canon character. I only own the OC's.

Last we left off, the Hogwarts teachers were meeting, and Harry helped Elena avoid embarrassment, and she showed that underneath the wild child is an actual teacher. Who would have thought?

* * *

Professor Harry James Potter sat on the bench next to the window in his office. It had been a mostly uneventful two months since the school year had started. He was looking forward to the upcoming holidays, which he would spend with the Weasley's of course. But this year, he was hoping for a slight change in the guest list. He wanted to invite Professor Masters.

He didn't exactly know when he had started to have feelings for the rather outlandish woman. But he had confirmed it a week ago, when he had seen her with her class sitting under the large trees near the lake. She was demonstrating the art of transfiguring one element to another. This had been during his free period, so he had stood there watching as she swished her wand and the large bubble of water in front of her suddenly turned to stone, and then to a large ball of fire.

He could see the pure joy on her face, a feat only shown by someone who truly and sincerely loved their work, much as he did. But it wasn't just the expression on her face that had caused this feeling. He suddenly became aware of how her eyes glistened in the sun, how her hair fell so freely but still managed to look like she had spent hours styling it, and how her nose wrinkled when she laughed. He found her very attractive, and as they had spent some time together at meals, and briefly after meetings, he had grown quite fond of her.

But, unfortunately, when it came to dating, he was still that shy teenage boy who had gotten his first kiss from a crying Cho Chang in the room of requirement. Plus, he feared the reaction and consequences that would befall his relationship with his friend Severus if he suddenly began to pursue the man's daughter. As it turned out however, it seems the years spent in Dumbledore's company had taught the old Potions Master a thing or two.

Harry was roused out of his thoughts by a school owl tapping on the window next to him, he let it in and reached for a treat for the bird, but when he turned back it was already gone. 'Curious owl, that one' he noted to himself before unraveling the small piece of parchment.

_Professor Potter, Please see me in my office immediately. Password is 'Grubshank' – S.S_

With a confused look at the note, he shrugged and pulled on his outer robes, his office and classroom were nice and toasty, but unfortunately with the coming winter the hallways were a bit on the cool side, especially without the hundreds of warm bodies milling about to create heat. And so off he went, his mind once more on the object of his affections.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Elena was distracted from her thoughts by a passing figure, who didn't even notice her sitting at the bottom of the staircase. But she paid no mind to that, what she did pay mind to was the fact of whom the person was. She sighed inwardly, thinking to herself 'He is the savior of the wizarding world, there is no way he is going to stoop to being involved with someone like me. I have a better chance with Professor Longbottom, and he's married.'

She sighed once more, thinking back to the day she had realized her affections towards the man. They had been in the great hall on a Saturday morning, when four figures had rushed through the doors towards the table. At the arrival of the visitors, Harry had grinned like crazy and run to greet them as if he were a schoolboy again.

She had observed the tall and lanky redheaded man, the stern but sweet looking brunette woman, and the comically grinning brunette man holding hands with the somewhat more somber black man at his side. She was surprised at the pang of jealousy that had rung itself through her body at seeing him hug and kiss each one of them on the cheek, finding herself desperately wishing he would greet HER like that.

She had watched discreetly as the group sat down at one of the empty tables and started talking to one another. She couldn't hear much, but did learn that the redheaded man was Harry's best mate Ron, the woman was his other best friend Hermione, and the other two men were Seamus and Dean. Unfortunately, she hadn't realized she was staring, until the one named Seamus suddenly stopped talking, and nudged Harry to look in her direction.

She quickly tried to look away, but the damage had already been done. Harry walked up to her, and she looked back up at him, expecting to see at the very least mild annoyance on the mans face. But instead, she saw a smile, and received an invitation to join the group for a little flying. She had smiled at the fact that he remembered her saying she loved to fly.

So ten minutes later they were on the pitch, Seamus showing off some very _interesting _moves he had created, all of which caused his husband to shake his head in a mix of amusement and shame. Elena had enjoyed watching as Harry and Ron laughed with ease at each others jokes, and how Hermione had watched with fondness.

That's when she had known, watching as he laughed so freely, but didn't tease her when she admitted that while she loved flying, she had never quite gotten the hang of doing tricks. So he had shown her a few easy ones, praising her in earnest when she was successful, and giving a stern but caring comment when she wasn't, to help her improve. She admired him, and when she had decided to call it a day, even when the others were still going at it, she walked back to the castle. Unfortunately missing the longing look the DADA Professor had given her, and the raised eyebrows his two best friends had given him.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHHPHPHP

Severus was growing impatient, he had sent that bloody owl TWENTY minutes ago. He was about to call a house elf to track down his Professor when a knock came at his door. 'About bloody time.' He then gracefully sat back behind his desk, took his tea in hand and said "Enter!" In a clear and concise tone of voice.

"Sorry for the hold-up Sev, I ran into Peeves on the way down, and unfortunately the Baron was not around to keep him from attempting to dump watered down glue on my head. Even as a teacher, that Peeves still has it in for me." He commented, shaking his head as he sat and accepted the tea offered to him.

"Well, I will certainly have to alert Filch to keep an eye on his glue supplies, Peeves managed to get a first year with that same prank yesterday, thank goodness the child managed to use his book sack as a shield before it hit his head, or I would have some very angry parents wanting me to explain why their son would now be bald for the next three or four months." He reached for a quill and made a note on a piece of parchment on his desk.

"Yes, well Sev, that's all well and good, but I am sure you didn't call me in here to discuss the poltergeist." He raised his eyebrow up at his friend.

"Yes of course. The reason I called you in here is because I have noticed some...things. Specifically concerning the actions between yourself and Elena." He held his hand up to stop the response about to erupt from the younger mans mouth.

"I am just pointing out that I am aware of your growing infatuation with her, as well as the obvious response she harbors for you, though I fear if she is anything like me, she will never come to you first. Now, I know you are expecting me to yell, and lose my temper over the prospect of you courting her, but I honestly have no complaints towards it whatsoever." He paused and smirked at the wonderful impression of a fish his friend was performing. However, he simply sipped his tea and waited for him to compose himself.

"NONE? You really have no problem if I asked Elena out on a date, or to go with me to the Weasley's for holiday. Or even if one day I want to marry her even?" He pressed.

AT his words the older man grimaced. "Now Potter, do not press your luck, I do not have a problem if you wish to begin courting my daughter, but I expect at least a years worth of courting and a year-long engagement before I will relinquish her to you in matrimony. As for the Weasley's, while I may not agree to their particular lifestyle, I have always found them, at least in Molly's case ... tolerable at the very least. Now, I have made my knowledge and opinion on the matter very clear, please see yourself out before I change my mind and hex you into next summer." With that he shot the man a pointed glare, albeit a somewhat softer one than he would have given if he actually meant what he was saying.

With that Harry bounded down the steps and rushed to Elena's classroom, hoping to ask her to dinner the next night, again not noticing there was another person in the hallways, this time a particular blonde who gave the man a longing look as he bounded through the halls, startling several of the students.

The blonde simply sighed and shook his head. 'Not going to happen Draco, he's never going to love you.'

* * *

**AUTHORS NOTE: **Well, isn't that fun! We did a miniature time jump there, and a bit of a flashback, but it's all good. We finally get a glimpse of some of our favorite Gryffindors, now all I will say is that yes, there will be more of them, but I won't say when or how.

Now in the authors notes of last chapter, I made it sound like Seamus was going to do much more than he actually did, that was because I just couldn't get the part about him to fit in quite right, so I am very sorry if I disappointed anyone.

We also get to see the start of our main love connection, a surprising reaction from our dear Severus Snape, as well as Draco coming into the story, and he has a crush on Harry... wonder what that could mean for the new lovebirds?

Stay tuned and find out!


	6. Lessons

**AUTHORS NOTE: **I own nothing but the creations of my own mind.

In our previous chapter, we are introduced to our first love connection. YAY! We also got to see some of our favorite characters, and got a glimpse into a whole new side of Severus Snape, that I'm willing to bet no one knew existed! Well... except me of course.

* * *

'Stupid, stupid, stupid hair! If dad hears about this I will never hear the and of it!' Elena nearly bolted down the halls of Hogwarts, trying to tame her long mane of hair into a somewhat presentable ponytail. She was five minutes late to class, and knew that by that time the students were already there and probably wondering where she was. Finally, she got to the door to her office which had an adjoining entrance to the classroom. She walked in, took a deep breath to calm her lungs, and stepped into the classroom where she received stares from her students.

She took a moment to document her appearance, hair tied up, green t-shirt under outer robes of black, dark blue jeans, and sneakers. Nope, the definitely weren't staring at her clothes, and then she remembered.

'Oh good god, the hickey!' She quickly pulled her hair back down to cover her neck, blushing darkly at her stupidity regarding the evidence of her late night tryst with the DADA Professor. She just hoped no one would comment. No such luck of course, as a young student named Isabella Thompson raised her hand, asking "Professor, are you okay? You look like you have a rash." She asked in a sweet voice.

"Oh this?." She waved to her neck, "I use one of those muggle straightening irons for my hair, and got a little careless this morning, is all. Now why don't we go over last lessons points on the proper technique to get a transfiguration to become permanent." She sighed inwardly in relief at her quick thinking, and then waved her wand to the blackboard where notes started to appear, and there was a rusting as students opened their books to the proper chapter and took out their quills and paper.

After an hour of discussing and reviewing the technique, even getting a few of the students to actively transfigure a sewing needle into small wooden boxes for them to keep, she dismissed them with an assignment to have a two foot essay on the properties of permanent transfiguration and also how to reverse it.

She went back into her office for her free period of that day, and sat on the windowsill, promptly lighting a cigarette, moaning softly at the sweet sensation as she exhaled. But at a knock on her door, she yelled "Enter!" and went back to her smoking.

"You know those things can kill you right?"

She smiled at her lovers comment, "Well at least I'll die happy." She commented.

"You know, I can make you happy." Harry sat in the chair behind her desk and watched her.

"That, Mr. Potter has yet to be determined. And also, may I point out that I am not the only one in this school with their eyes on the great Harry Potter?"

AT this he snorted, "Well I don't want a fan girl, I want someone who genuinely loves me for me."

"Who said this person was a girl?" She countered with a raised eyebrow.

"What? But I'm not gay, everyone knows that."

"Yes, everyone knows, but that doesn't mean everyone likes it."

"Who on earth...?" He stopped as he came to the realization that his girlfriend knew something he didn't.

"Okay Elena, spill." He ordered.

"Hmm... only if you say pretty please." A comment which only earned her a glare from the man. "Okay, Okay, I have been watching things since I got here, mostly out of curiosity, and during these observations, I have noticed a certain blonde Potions Professor constantly staring at you.."

Harry blinked in surprise at this, he and Draco had sorted out their differences years ago, but he wouldn't call them the best of friends. He definitely didn't expect the other man to have those kind of feelings for him.

"If you want my opinion hun, go talk to him. Let him know that you know how he feels, but that while you will always be his friend, you just don't return those feelings. He may take it hard at first, but I'm sure with time he'll come around." She walked over to him, and sat on his lap.

"And if you need to talk, I'm here." She offered quietly.

With that he seemed to remember where he was and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her lightly on the lips. "Thanks Elena, oh and sorry about that." He pointed towards the hickey on her neck.

"No problem, I told my students I had been careless with my hair straightener. Since most of them don't know what that is, I think they bought it." She giggled, but then got a serious look on her face, which suddenly turned to panic. "Oh my god, I forgot. I'm supposed to meet with Dad now, and I'm ten minutes late! Sorry hun, we'll have to finish this later." She hurriedly grabbed her outer robe and swung it on, placing a chaste kiss on the amused mans cheek before rushing out the door, calling a quick "Make sure you talk to Draco!" over her shoulder.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

The door to his office suddenly burst open, revealing Severus's very flushed daughter. He rolled his eyes at her and simply waved at her to sit. Once she had, he called the house elf who had prepared tea and sandwiches for them. He stayed quiet as she settled in, waiting until she turned her attention to him.

"Elena, you are late." He admonished her gently, and seeing her about to respond, he held up his hand to stop her. "I do not need to know why, I am simply asking that next time we have an arranged meeting, that you please show some punctuality. That is all." He was about to start sipping his tea when she flipped her hair behind her shoulder in a nervous gesture. That was when he saw _it_.

"Elena Rebecca Masters! What on earth is that thing on your neck?!" He roared, slamming his cup down on his desk and swooping to the front to get a closer look at it. "Is that a hickey?! Did your STUDENTS see this?"

When he realized she was almost cowering in her seat, he took a deep breath and sat back down behind his desk. He gave her a glare and commanded her to explain herself.

"Dad it's not that bad, yes the students saw it, but since they know I am half muggle, I simply told them I burned myself with a hairstyling device. They bought it... I think." She gave an apologetic smile.

Severus simply rubbed his temples, wondering how on earth Cordelia had managed to deal with this child for twenty-one years. He was going to kill Potter when he saw him. He sat for a few minutes to organize his thoughts.

"Elena, as your father, I am merely disappointed at your lack of good judgment, and simply hope that you protected yourself. But, as your Headmaster, I am appalled at how you did not show enough decorum to leave your personal life outside of the classroom. I am giving you a warning, I do not care what you do in your private time, but I will not have one of my Professors be the topic of this week's gossip. Is that understood?" He stared her down until she responded with a brief nod.

"Good, now if I am not mistaken you have a class to teach in fifteen minutes, I suggest you not be late."

Elena nodded, and gave him a quick kiss on his head before heading for the door, and with a last wave, she was gone.

Severus sat for a few moments thinking about this mystery of a girl, who sometimes reminded him so much of himself, but other times simply baffled him.

* * *

**AUTHORS NOTE: ** So now we have seen a brief glimpse into the dynamics of Harry/Elena as a couple. We have also seen that even though Sev loves his little girl, he isn't afraid to tell her when she is wrong. Hope you enjoyed this one, and the next will be up as soon as I can get it written.

Sorry if it takes a couple of days, I have a job, and a husband who take up a lot of time.


	7. Fire and Water

**AUTHORS NOTE: **Don't Own, Don't Own, Don't Own, Don't Own, Don't Own, Don't Don't Don't Ooooown! Hehe a little pink panther humor. LOL

In the last chapter, we studied couple dynamics, and some fun consequences of certain *actions* ... and oh dear god, I just sounded like my high school English teacher. Please read on while I hang my head in shame!

* * *

At a knock on his office door, Draco Malfoy waved his hand, admitting into the room none other than the object of Draco's thoughts, Harry Potter.

"Professor Potter, what can I do for you?" He asked, as he set down his quill.

"Well, I have heard some things Draco, and I came to talk to you because I felt it would be best to hear it from me."

At this the blonde Head of Slytherin raised an eyebrow and motioned for the brunette to sit.

"Alright, enlighten me."

"I have heard that other people have seen you staring at me a lot, and it has been brought to my attention that the reason being that you have developed romantic feelings for me." He paused when Draco suddenly paled, and then flushed darkly.

"Now don't get me wrong, I am very flattered by the attention, but you know I am not gay, and, I'm seeing someone. So while, I can not return these feelings, I would very much like for us to become friends. And if you want, I could even set you up with a wonderful man whom I met through Seamus."

"Well, I certainly do feel like an imbecile. Thank you, however for coming to see me before I had to hear it from someone else. I appreciate it. Now, if you don't mind, I have a very large workload." Draco motioned to the papers on his desk.

"Of course, don't let me intrude anymore. I'll see you at dinner okay?" Harry responded as he went to the door.

"Of course, have a good afternoon." Draco said nonchalantly.

Once Harry had left however, the blonde broke down, sobbing openly as he felt his bruised and battered heart-break once more. He suddenly felt something inside him snap.

"Harry Potter, you may not know it yet, but you will be mine, and NO ONE, will stand in my way." He whispered to himself as he traced the faded lines of his Dark Mark.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHP

"So, you're really Snape's daughter?" George Weasley asked Elena over the Weasley Christmas Eve dinner, of which Harry and Elena were attending after a day with Severus.

"Yes." She gave them a somewhat confused answer, since Harry had already told them who she was when they arrived.

"Wow, didn't know the smarmy git had it in him." George whistled as he shook his head, missing the dangerous look Elena was giving him. Everyone else had however, and Harry motioned for them to back away and keep quiet, for he was well aware of his girlfriends foul temper.

"Excuse me? A smarmy git? I will have you know that my father is one of the most brilliant minds of the century, and the reason he is so distant from others is due to the fact that he spent most of his life either being screamed at by his father for his ability to do magic, teased mercilessly by his peers for his intelligence, or sacrificing his wants and desires and even people he loved just so the rest of the Wizarding world could have the privilege of sitting at their tables on Christmas without living in fear of Death Eaters bursting in during dessert! You know NOTHING of my father, and while even I am not the best informant on his life, at least I have enough personal decorum not to judge someone I know NOTHING about!"

With that she spun on her heel, and grabbed her coat from the hook by the fireplace, and with a quick turn she said, "Thank you so much for allowing me to come for dinner Mrs. Weasley, and I apologize for my outburst, please excuse me." She spun around again, and with a flash of Floo powder, she was gone. Leaving the entire Weasley clan either gaping at the empty fireplace or glaring at George. Said Weasley twin was staring at where the woman had just been in front of him, a look of pure terror on his face.

"Blimey, she really is his kid, Snape's the only person besides Mum who's ever terrified me." He said as he collapsed back into his chair. His relief was short-lived, however, as his very angry mother rounded on him.

"George Weasley, I did not raise you to act this way, or to insult others. I for one do not blame the girl a bit for getting upset. You are very lucky you no longer live under my roof, or I'd have you doing chores the muggle way for a week!" She yelled before giving Harry and apologetic look.

"Harry dear, I am so sorry this happened, please give my apologies to Elena when you find her. I wonder where she went?"

Harry reached for his coat, "I think I know Mum, look I will be back tomorrow morning for presents, and hopefully Elena will be with me since she and Severus exchanged gifts this morning. Good night."

With that he walked outside and with a pop was gone.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Elena had taken the Floo to Spinners End, and after quickly changing her clothes she had apparated to the American Embassy, where she scanned her ID and then apparated to the point that was in the alley a half block from the bar.

She stood at the back for a few minutes watching as the girls finished the dance they were performing, and chuckled lightly at the sight of Harley training a new girl who looked like she belonged in a kindergarten classroom and not a bar. When the dance was over, she clapped and whistled along with the other patrons.

She walked up to the bar, and waited patiently until one of the girls noticed her. She was idly watching the other patrons when a high-pitched squeal reached her ears, which alerted her to the fact that Ricky, the petite redheaded barmaid from Nebraska had spotted her.

"OH MY GOD! Elena! Oh my Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Harley! Harley! Look who's here!"

At the sound of Ricky's squeals Harley turned to where Elena was sitting, and a smile broke out on her face. "Well, if it isn't the schoolteacher. What happened? Did you get kicked out for inappropriate behavior?" She motioned for Elena to hop behind the bar, which the girl gladly did, even grabbing a few bottles and mixing drinks while she talked.

"No! We are on holiday break, and I figured I would come and visit my girls as a gift to myself. But I can't stay all night, or Harry might get worried." She stopped as she caught her slip.

"Harry? My, Elena, you have a boyfriend now? Is he that cute young thing that came in with your dad?" Harley asked.

"Yeah, he works at the school with me, he is the... Physical Education teacher." She grinned at the other girls who were giving her suggestive looks. Each of them cleaning up a little as the crowd lulled for a few minutes.

"So Elena, are you gonna dance with us tonight? For old times sake?" Ricky asked.

Elena thought for a minute and then nodded, stripping off her coat to show her red tank top underneath. The girls gave a cheer, and Harley got on the megaphone to announce the dance.

"And as a special bonus, ladies and gentleman, we have our wayward daughter Elena here tonight for a one night revival! So lets give these girls a reason to dance!" She grinned again at the loud cheers, especially from the regulars who knew Elena personally.

So in two minutes the girls were dancing on the bar, with hoses spraying water, and pitchers being dumped over every girls head. And then one of the customers got on the bar, and as Elena tried to get him to stop grabbing her waist and get back to the ground, she looked up and barely had time to react as the guy was yanked by his waistband by a very angry-looking Harry.

He unfortunately didn't stop there, he stood on a stool and picked Elena up by her waist, throwing her over his shoulder and dragging her out, reaching for the coat being thrown over the bar by Ricky as he went. All the girls were either staring in shock, or giggling at the sight of Elena pounding on her boyfriends back to put her down.

They made it outside to the alley, and for the thirtieth time she asked him to put her down. This time however, he listened. But once he had she wished he hadn't because the way he was glaring at her made her heart wrench but then it passed and she got pissed.

"What the HELL is you problem Harry?!" She yelled.

"My problem? How about the fact that I left my family dinner to make sure you were okay, and first went to Hogwarts, and then to Spinners End, and finally here, only to find you soaking wet, and being humped by some random loser on a bar! Just be lucky I convinced your father that I could take care of it, or it would be him you would be explaining yourself to! That is my problem." He crossed his arms and gave her another glare.

"Explaining myself? So now that I'm your girlfriend I have to explain all of my actions to you? Well to tell you Mr. Potter, that guy is a very nice man named David who has come to this bar for years and yes, sometimes he gets a little grabby, but he usually backs off after either a warning from whichever girl he happens to be groping, or when Harley hits him with the hose. He is just a harmless lightweight. And as for me dancing, I came here because I needed to see my friends and clear my head, and Ricky asked if I would dance for old times sake, and so I did. The water, she suggested, because she knows it was always one of my favorite things to do. So I will not feel bad for what I did in there, but you should! Harley may never let me back in there after the stunt you pulled! And as for my father, I am a grown woman who will not allow anyone to tell her what to do."

She took a deep breath and then pushed a finger straight into his chest, this time speaking in a quieter but much more dangerous tone. "I suggest you go back to Hogwarts and tell my father exactly what I just said, and I suggest you never speak to me again, because if this is how you're going to act every time some harmless guy thinks he can try to cop a feel, then that is one less stress I do not need."

With that she grabbed her coat, and as she walked away she turned back and stated, "I am not some damsel in distress you need to save all the time."

* * *

**AUTHORS NOTE: **Oh how this chapter made me sob writing it, but it had to be done. I just wish it wouldn't break my heart.

We get to see Elena's biggest flaw, which she inherited from her father, even if he doesn't show it as much as she does, and that would be her very big temper. But one has to wonder why such a small statement caused such a large reaction... So sorry George dear, maybe its hormones or something?

Anyways... thanks for reading so far, please leave reviews as they help me get better, and even provide insight as to new chapter ideas!


	8. Working It Out

**AUTHORS NOTE: **I do not own Harry Potter, wish I did, but I do not.

In our last chapter, our two lovebirds had a bit of a row, oh no! Will they work things out? Or will they be doomed forever?... Well I'm certainly not going to tell you, so read on and find out!

* * *

Harry Potter was miserable. It had been almost two months since he and Elena had fought. They had returned to school and their work, and he had tried to speak to her, only to receive a glare and the order to leave her alone.

Even his friendship with Sev was suffering, albeit not much. When Severus had initially heard of the incident he had at first been upset at his daughter for her actions, but then he had softened towards the girl and told Harry that he had overreacted.

He now sat in the Headmasters office, sipping tea and sitting in silence. Severus looked at his young friend and let out a sigh. "Harry, I am usually not one to stick my nose into others business, I leave that feat to Albus," He motioned towards the portrait frame of the old Headmaster, which was at the moment empty, "But when it comes to Elena, I must intervene. You have been miserable, but she has been worse." He sipped his tea as Harry looked at him in confusion.

"How is she worse? Every time I see her she is smiling and laughing with the other Professors or students, and then she glares at me! How is that worse?"

"See it from her eyes Harry, it was her first Holiday season without her mother, a blow which was only slightly softened by myself and you. Then suddenly she finds herself in a situation where she feels she must defend her family, and in her emotional state she ran to the friends who were there for her when we were not, then suddenly, you go bursting in like some crazed white night, making her feel like you were trying to control her life and who she is. I would have to say that, while she is smiling and acting normally on the outside, that is not how she is feeling on the inside. She may not hide her temper, but I have noticed, that like me, she hides her vulnerability. Add the fact that when you try to talk to her, instead of apologizing, you have tried to make her see how she was wrong, and you have a recipe for disaster." He stopped and fixed his calmest, yet strongest look at the other man, it was a look that still made Harry squirm.

"So what do you suggest I do Sev? She won't even let me close enough to talk to her anymore." He whined.

"Harry James Potter! You are the savior of the Wizarding World, and a competent and successful Professor. Talking to my daughter should be easy compared to what you have faced." He smirked at his friend. "Plus, I'm not giving you a choice, she is on her way up my office steps as we speak."

Harry paled as they both heard a knock on the door. He turned when Severus had yelled his usual permission to enter, and Elena came into the room. She stilled at the sight of Harry, and made to leave again, but the door suddenly shut and locked with a wave of Severus's wand.

"Elena, sit." He waited as she hesitated and then sat in the chair next to Harry, although she seemed like she wanted to be anywhere else but here.

"Sitting in front of me are two people I care a great deal about. My daughter, and one of the few trusted friends I have. You both found something in each other that is special, but unfortunately, with great love, comes great conflict. It is the way of the world. But the beauty of love, is knowing when to face conflict head on, and when to back down." He paused, watching as they took in his words.

"Elena, while I understand and respect your defense of me, and your actions resulting in being upset by the incident at The Weasley's, you need to know that Harry was very worried about you when you stormed off, and so when he located you in the position you were in, he reacted in an understandable, if not a bit out of the box, way. You need to allow him the opportunity to apologize for overreacting, and understand his feelings, as well as your own."

"Harry, I know you were trying to help Elena, and I know that seeing what happened made you extremely upset. But you have to understand that she is a grown woman, and just because you have entered into a relationship with each other, it does not give you the right to act as if she is your property, or as if she were some helpless victim for you to save." He paused again, this time standing and walking towards the door.

"I expect you two to stay here and work out your differences, I don't expect miracles, but it does not bode well for my school when two of my most popular Professors are fighting." With that, he left, and they heard an audible click as he magically locked them in from the outside.

The two Professors sat in a semi-stunned silence for a few moments, both of them still trying to absorb the easy way the Headmaster had described their own feelings. O them both, it was a bit unnerving, and Harry was beginning to suspect that Severus was having one to many conversations with Albus.

Another few minutes passed and she spoke in a small voice, almost childlike in a way. "You know that was my first Christmas without my mom? Every year since we moved to New York when I was three, she would take me to the skating rink in Central Park, always right before it closed, long enough to have some fun, but late enough to avoid the large crowds. She would hold me and dance with me as she skated, and as I got older she taught me how. I loved skating, it was the best thing ever. I even started training to become a professional. Then I got my school letter, and Mom was so excited. I didn't have the heart to tell her I didn't want to go. That I wanted to stay and become the next famous Olympic Ice Skater. I just assumed I would go to school, learn to do magic, and would return home afterward to continue my dreams." She paused for a moment, rubbing at her wet eyes with her sleeve.

"Then one Christmas, we went to the skating rink again, and we skated, I had heard of this new move that looked so easy, and wanted to try it with my mom, so that if I landed it, she would be the first one to see. So as she stood on the side watching, I tried it." She stopped again, a sad look on her face.

"I failed. I missed a step halfway through and I fell. I landed hard on my hip, nearly shattering it. We spent that night, and those of the next week in the hospital, I had to have surgery to repair the damage, and the Doctor told me I would never be able to skate like I wanted to again. I tried, don't get me wrong, I tried to do it and that only landed me back in the hospital again with a broken ankle. My body just couldn't do any more than the simple things. My mom never took me skating again. Instead, we tried things like music and art. But nothing ever felt right. So I dived into my schoolwork, and discovered my knack for transfiguration, by the time I met the healer who would fix my broken body, I had all but forgotten my skating dream."

Harry had sat listening to her story, and when she finally turned to him, he gave her a confused look.

"Do you know why I told you that story?" She asked.

"Not really?" He responded, surprised at the light laugh she gave, albeit a slightly sad one.

"I told it to you to show you just how important my mom was to me. Because when I wanted to be something that would require a lot of difficulty to become, she stood by me. When I saw how much she wanted me to go and become the best Witch I could be, I put my dreams on hold to make her happy. And when my body lay broken, and my dreams were shattered, she stood by me. Even when I kept attempting to do what the Doctors had told me was impossible, she simply stood aside and gave her support each and every time I failed, and was always there to hold me when I cried afterward. And she supported me once again, when I found my new dream. She was even the one who had found the healer to help fix me, because she hated to see that I was miserable because of my physical limitations."

She fixed him with a strong look. "My mother was the world to me, she brought me back to life when I felt I had nothing left. And then she was gone. The disease took her so suddenly, it was like she was there one minute and then the next I had blinked and she was gone. After that the girls became my family, they were the ones to support me and stand up for me, and help me when I was having a tough time. Then dad came, and I felt like a part of me that had always been missing was finally full and even though I missed her terribly, I knew mom would have been happy that I had found him, and you, and that I was celebrating the holidays instead of moping through them. So when George Weasley insulted dad, I took it very personally, and I was so upset, I just didn't know where to turn to, so I went to the girls. And through their own special way, they helped me feel better. I know it wasn't exactly what you would call the best way to comfort someone, but it's their way, and it works."

She kept her eyes on him, relaying her lifetime of emotions into that one look, as if he were trying to rely her message through sheer force of will.

Harry sighed and grabbed her hands. "Elena, I am so sorry about how I acted. I guess I never took into account what you were feeling, and what you were going through. I would say that I would be alright if you decided to still not be with me, but I would be lying if I did. I fell in love with you, I didn't realize it at first, but then suddenly I knew. I don't think I have ever loved another person as much as I love you. I'm begging you to give me another chance. Please?" He begged.

"Harry, that's all I wanted to hear. When you kept coming to me acting like I should have apologized to you, I felt like maybe you just didn't care about my feelings, and that pissed me off. But now I know, you cared, you were just ignorant to what was happening right in front of your eyes. I will repeat this Mr. Potter, I am a grown woman and I can handle myself, it is one thing to be the jealous type, but I never want another outburst like that again, understand?" She said.

"Deal." And that was the last words spoken as they wrapped themselves into each others arms and only stopped when Harry insisted they make a quick Floo trip to the fireplace in his chambers. They never even bothered to check if the door had unlocked.

Five minutes afterward, Severus returned from having a cup of tea and some pastries in his private rooms, he had sensed that the two individuals had left his office, and when he arrived he cast a quick residual emotion charm to see what state the two had left in, just to be ready in case they had somehow managed a way out before working through their issues. The readings from the tip of his wand made him actually blush, though he would never admit it to anyone. He simply sat down in his chair, shook his head of the vile thoughts, and went back to work.

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**Authors Note:** SO there you have it, true love wins out. I have to say I quite like this new insightful Severus, and I think I will keep him.

Next chapter, it's Elena's birthday! Yaaay but thing's don't go quite as planned for the birthday girl... lets see what happens!


	9. Parties And Panic

**AUTHORS NOTE: **Don't Own.

Thank you to the beta who has agreed to help me with my story. OmenProphecy!

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It was Elena's birthday, March 15th. She would be twenty-two today, and while she knew she wasn't supposed to know, she had discovered that Harry had planned a surprise party at Spinners End for her. Holding it there so her wizarding friends from America could come, which was also supposed to be a surprise. Harry had simply told her that after her last class, he wanted her to come to his office so he could give her her present, and that he wanted to take her to a special place for dinner. She knew that when he was going to apparate them to _"the restaurant"_, that they would really end up in the back gardens of the manor where the guests would be waiting. She loved how she was able to get information out of the house elves.

So there she was her last class ended, and she was walking to Harry's office, when a pair of arms wrapped around her, a hand covering her mouth with a cloth, and then everything went black...

HPHPHPHPHPHPHP

'Elena is late'. Harry sat in his office chair, looking at the clock once again. She was supposed to have been in his office fifteen minutes ago, so far he simply assumed she had gotten held up with a student or something. So he summoned a house elf and asked him to please pop into Elena's classroom, to see what the hold up was. When the elf returned with news that she was not in her class, or office, he asked the elf to check her chambers, again receiving news she was not there either.

He suddenly got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, something was wrong, and he knew it. Severus was already at Spinners end, so he asked the elf to gather the others and do a magical sweep of the castle, receiving a nod in response as the elf disappeared.

Harry reached into the locked drawer of his desk and pulled out his old map. "I solemnly swear I'm up to no good" He tapped it with his wand. He had discussed the map with Remus some months before the final battle, and had learned that with a simple command of "Point me" along with the name of the person you were trying to find, you could locate anyone inside the school or as far onto the grounds as the map went. So he tapped the map again and said, "Point me, Elena Masters." He watched as the picture on the map spun and moved rapidly before the page went blank, and words began to form.

_We Sirs, Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs, regret to inform you that whomever you are trying to find is not currently in the maps capacity to locate. May we suggest simply getting off your lazy bum and looking the old fashioned way? _

_To locate another persons, please repeat the locating spell, to return to the full map, simply tap twice and repeat the opening spell. _

_Good Day._

If it hadn't been for his worry, he would have laughed at the message, Moony had obviously placed it, with the obvious input from Sirius or James, since Remus was the only one of the Marauders who would be so polite.

He was worried now, according to the map Elena wasn't even present on Hogwarts grounds, so unless she was in the Forbidden Forest, she was no longer anywhere near the school. He waited a few moments longer until the house elf he had called to help him came back, he clutched something small and shiny in his hand and had a solemn look on his tiny face.

"Professor Harry Potter, Sir, We elves search the whole school, and no sign of Professor Elena Masters, but we find this." He held out his hand and Harry took the small earring it held. He knew this earring, Elena had told him the set had been a gift from her mother when she graduated school and had gotten accepted into University. He looked at the elf, confused.

"We elves feel something sir, near where it was. We felt anger and fear, Sir. Mullin fears for Missus Elena, there be dark purposes at work here sir." The elf gave Harry a sad gaze, awaiting further instruction.

"Thank you Mullin, one last thing before you go, please alert Professor Malfoy of the current events and tell him that I want him to handle everything here. I need to firecall the Headmaster."

He had just kneel down and was about to shout his desired destination when Mullin reappeared again.

"Professor Harry Potter, Sir. Mullin knows you wanted him to locate Professor Draco Malfoy, but Mullin is unable to. He is not in the castle, and when Mullin was in his office, he sensed the same anger that was near Miss Elena's jewelery, and he found a bottle that had weird smelling stuff in it, but is not a potion, there is no magic in it."

Harry took the bottle and wafted the scent towards him. It was a smell he knew, a muggle chemical that he had used with Hermione during the war when they had needed to knock Ron out after splinching himself and Hermione had been afraid of putting any potions other than the one to heal him into his body.

"Chloroform. Oh Draco, what have you done?" He immediately stuck his head back into the fireplace and firecalled Spinners End. When Severus's head reappeared, asking why they were so late, he rushed his words out, wanting to waste no time.

"Sev! Listen to me, call Ron, and send the guests home. Elena's been kidnapped." At his friends suddenly panicked and also very angry expression, he halted at his next words, but knew he had to do it.

"Sev, it get's worse. I know who took her. It was Draco Malfoy."

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**AUTHORS NOTE: **Uh Oh! Draco's been a naughty boy, and poor Elena, not exactly the gift she wanted for her birthday!


	10. Discussions With Mr Malfoy

**AUTHORS NOTE: **I wish I owned but I don't

Thanks to OmenProphecy for being my beta!

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Elena woke in an uncomfortable positions, and her head was pounding. The smell of mold and decay filled her nostrils and she dry heaved, not having anything in her stomach to let out. She kept her eyes closed until she was sure there were no bright lights around to blind her. Then she opened them, and found herself in a dungeon of sorts, but she could see parts of the ceilings had caved in, and rubble was strewn across the floor. These holes let some light in, so the dungeon wasn't near as dark as she guessed it would have normally been.

She wracked her brain in an effort to remember what had happened. She remembered her class letting out, and changing her shirt in her office, choosing to stay in her jeans but now donning a pretty black silk wrap around top. Then she had been walking to Harry's room... then nothing.

She could still smell remnants of whatever it was had been pressed against her mouth. She couldn't quite place it, as the scent was now to weak for her to decipher it. She did know however that it didn't smell like a potion, since it didn't have the usual twang of magic mixed into it. So whatever it was, it was muggle.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when a noise came from her left and she turned her head to see what it was, at the same time grabbing to where she strapped her wand to her hip, only to find the holster empty. 'Great, no wand, and I don't know where I am. Yep this is a great birthday.' She thought sarcastically.

The noise happened again, only this time a person appeared with it. It seems the noise was the person tapping her wand against the wall. She couldn't see his face clearly, but the white shine of hair was unmistakeable. "Draco... what the hell are you doing?" She asked as he finally stepped into the light.

He smirked and then flung her wand somewhere to the side. She was sitting on the floor but her hands were chained up to the wall loosely so they could fall to her side, but enough that she knew she could only move so far.

Draco smirked, and snapped his fingers, a plate of bread with some slices of cheese and apples appeared in front of her. Then he spoke. "You might want to eat now, I did a body scan on you and noticed the last time you ate was early this morning. Wouldn't want you passing out from starvation."

He summoned a chair and sat down a few feet in front of her. Watching as she eyed the plate of food suspiciously. He shook his head and sighed, "It's not poisoned, I want you alive. I may have kidnapped you, but I took an oath a long time ago to never kill another person if that person hasn't tried to kill me first."

Elena could only look on in confusion, but she did sit herself into a more comfortable position, and started to eat. Draco summoned a glass of juice for her as well, apologizing for not thinking of it sooner. "There is a potion in the juice, but don't worry, it is a simple headache potion. Chloroform is useful if you don't want it to be traceable by magical means, but it does leave you with a pounding headache. But I'm sure you've already discovered that."

She sniffed the juice, and then took a sip, her head instantly starting to feel better. So she set the glass down and started eating again. "What is it you want from me Draco? I have done nothing to you."

He sighed, and sat back. "Let me tell you a story. I was raised by a loving mother, and strict father. They instilled in me the importance of blood purity and being true to our way of life. I believed in these ideals, and believed that as a Malfoy I should always get what I want because I was superior to everyone else. So on the first day of Hogwarts when I offered my hand in friendship to Harry Potter. He refused it, and took up with the Weasley boy instead. I was furious so I spent the next few years hating him, until one day it seemed I didn't hate him any more. I picked the fights just to hear the passion in his voice, and I played against him in Quidditch because I thought he looked beautiful and graceful when he was flying." He stopped and thought a moment, thinking of what else to tell her.

"He testified for me after the war, helped me stay out of Azkaban, I loved him even more then, but as always I put on a blank face and merely thanked him. A few months ago when he came to me offering his friendship when he had somehow learned of my feelings, I accepted, but I knew I wanted more. So I decided to get it. When you two split I thought it would be easy, but then you roped him right back in."

Elena had sat, listening to his story, and her heart went out to the man, despite what he had done. "So if you're not going to kill me, what are you going to do?" she asked.

"Well I am going to modify your memory, seeing as how I was supposed to be at your party tonight, no one will suspect that I am the reason you've gone missing. So I am going to keep you here for a few days, join the search party and act as the effectively concerned colleague who wants you found safe and sound. Then I will return here and modify your memory to make you believe you had simply rethought the concept of being with Harry and teaching at Hogwarts, and had decided to go off for a few days to think. You will go back to America and write a letter to your father explaining this, and he will in turn tell Harry." With these words he got a gleam in his eyes.

"When he is sulking, devastated by your dismissal. I will comfort him, as his friend, and I will slowly feed him doses of a potion I created to make the drinker believe he is gay. Then I will seduce him, and make him mine. If he however does not fall for me naturally, I believe a healthy does of love potion will do the trick until I can get him to marry me. Then he will have no choice but to stay with me."

He sat back in his chair once more, and gave her a smirk, but what he didn't know is that while he had been rambling on about his master plan, she had been using a spare hair pin she always kept in her back pocket to slowly push the pin holding her wrists, out of it's opening so she could wandlessly summon her wand and free herself.

'Draco Malfoy, you just wait until I get out of here, I'm going to shave all that pretty blonde hair of yours off your head!' She thought to herself while still keeping a calm and somewhat fearful look on her face.

She was seconds away from freeing herself when suddenly there was a loud explosion just above them, and the room started to fill with people. Unfortunately, some of the rubble had fallen and she was hit in the head, the world going black once again.

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**AUTHORS NOTE: **We got a little insight into the working mind of Draco Malfoy, Sad and alone, but still just as selfish and arrogant as ever. Bad Draco! Let's hope that nothing else bad happens!

Since I haven't written the next chapters yet, even I don't know what will happen, so travel with me readers!


	11. Farewell To The Goddess

To all of the readers, and to the beta and friends of ItalianGoddess21. I am the friend to the goddess, and I regret to inform you that this wonderfully creative writer is no longer with us. During a trip to a late holiday dinner with her family, she was impacted on the drivers side of her car by a truck that had run a stop sign.

If you wish to offer your condolences please either review this posting or send a private message, and I will print them out and place them into the book I am making a book with messages from her other sites, Facebook, and personal friends, this book will be placed with her during her funeral on Tuesday.

I wish you all love and good luck, and thank you for your support of a great and creative writer.


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